Dirt Trap

Journalist James Brandt lives in a brittle truce with his partner Dylan and his family, never talking about the homophobic attacks he exposed in his rural hometown, including the brutal death of a beloved cousin twenty years ago.

But this illusion of peace is ripped apart by the start of the state's historical gay-hate crime inquiry, and the reappearance of the Joneses, who waltz back into Kippen professing to be queer allies. Yet when one of that notorious dynasty is found dead at a local water tower, it is James who stands accused.

With an under-resourced sergeant and a tech-savvy podcaster on his heels, James refuses to trust in a police force that has proven its inadequacy with gay-hate crime. In order to clear his name and flush out which member of this remote community took justice into their own hands, he will need to expose every secret, including his own.

'Crime fiction at its most vital. A fearless reckoning with queer history and institutional failure. Dirt Trap lays bare the human cost of silence within the closed ranks of a rural Australian town and what it takes to break it. Can justice be found in a community that does not want it?' R. W. R. McDonald author of The Nancys

'Michael Burge's Dirt Trap is everything you love about classic rural noir but with diverse characters who better represent the complexity of Australian country towns. His compelling plot will have you racing to the finish and leave you wanting more. What a breath of fresh air!' Gabrielle Chan author of Rusted Off

About the Author

Michael Burge is an author and journalist who lives at Deepwater in the New England region of NSW, Michael’s debut novel Tank Water was released by MidnightSun Publishing. His article about the research behind this coming-of-age crime thriller appeared in The Journal of Australian Studies. A second novel The Watchnight, a gothic crime thriller set on Australia’s colonial frontier, will be released globally in September 2025 by Histria Books.

An earlier memoir Questionable Deeds: Making a stand for equal love lifted the lid on homophobia during Australia’s marriage equality campaign. Michael’s reports for Guardian Australia, Fairfax Media and NoFibs led to a citation at the 2023 Honour Awards for his contribution to writing about rural LGBTIQA+. He sits on the board of the BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival.